Hot Topics:

Stanford beats Vanderbilt on home run in ninth

Wire services

Posted:
06/07/2014 10:03:18 PM PDT

Updated:
06/07/2014 10:36:37 PM PDT

Wayne Taylor hit a game-ending solo home run in the ninth inning, lifting Stanford to a 5-4 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday and forcing a deciding third game in the NCAA super regional in Nashville, Tennessee.

A berth in the College World Series will be up for grabs at noon (Pacific time) Sunday in the series finale. The game will be telecast on ESPN2.

Taylor, who earlier in the day was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball draft, connected with a 1-1 pitch from Adam Ravenelle with one out to silence the sold-out crowd.

"I knew that if I was going to be able to hit, with his velocity, I was going to have to get the head of the bat out," Taylor said. "I thought it was a pretty good pitch that he threw, it was down. I was able to put a good swing on it and get a hold of it."

But he wasn't sure if the ball would carry into the stands.

"It was kind of low, so I figured it could bounce off the fence," Taylor said. "But I thought I got it pretty good."

Vanderbilt (45-19) tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the ninth when Stanford reliever A.J. Vanegas hit Xavier Turner with the bases loaded in a rally started when Dansby Swanson reached first on a wild pitch after striking out.

The Cardinal (35-25) took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a two-run double by Brant Whiting.

Whiting, who was 3 for 4 with two doubles, also was drafted Saturday, going to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 30th round.